I don't get the arguments for bioessentialism

[MGibster]

Why are we heck-bent on trying to peg behaviors on biology, when culture gives us as broad a palate to work with, while avoiding bad armchair psychologist takes on how biology impacts sentient behavior?

I think there must be something more here. If culture was such a broad palette to work from, then what do we even need fantasy species for? If an elf raised in a farming community is pretty much the same as a human, orc, or dwarf raised under such conditions then what's the point of having an elf in the first place?

 

[AnotherGuy]

So in D&D class affects experience.
The simulationist in me desires a mechanic whereby age affects experience.
The question is then how to balance the long-lived races with the shorter-lived ones.

i.e. 100 year old elf with a 20 year old human

Our currency as it is are languages, skills, proficiencies, feats, species features, background features and attribute points.
What WotC has done for ease is negate its affect as they've done to sex to level the playing field.

With 2024 they've also removed Traits, Bonds, Ideals and Flaws etc so even from that perspective they've negated the affect that age could play in the game.

It's certainly a tricky factor to include from a balance perspective. The earlier editions had a whole bunch of ways to do that but they felt nonsensical from a logical perspective.

Its likely a fool's errand anyways since level advancement is so rapid making the world and the power levels of characters bizarre.
As in why try simulate age when there is so much non-sim already within the setting.

Apologies for the rambling post. Wasn't meant to be one just ended up as one.